Modern day "Kentucky Rifle" idea.

[bearincamo]

I love the look of the old Kentucky style rifles of the American Revolution.
So I was wondering if anyone has ever built a bolt action to have that classic look.

Basically I was thinking of taking a bolt action rifle, fit an extra long heavy barrel to it and carve a Kentucky long rifle style stock out of rosewood or cherry. Then embellish with brass and leather. I would also like to at least try to float the barrel without it looking floated. But if necessary I will just bet the barrel really well. Maybe with a heavy barrel floating isn't very crucial?

My goal is to have the look of a Kentucky Long Rifle with modern components. (and maybe a magazine with 5 or more rounds?)

Has anyone done anything like this?

 

[MudRunner2005]

You might have an easier time building something like that out of an old 1874 Sharps reproduction action, and using it as a single-shot falling-block, since it already has the big hammer on the side of it, the fancy breach lever, and all that stuff...

Just my thoughts...

 

[bearincamo]

You make a great argument. For the mild cost of losing a magazine, I get a nearly ready design. All I need to do is lengthen the stock and add the brass embellishments.
Awesome. Thanks!

 

[bearincamo]

Though, I may still try to make a bolt action into one...someday.

 

[bearincamo]

Now that I think about it...if I decided that I MUST have a repeater...a lever action is a much better option as I could hide the magazine tube within the stock and still have the look.


...I still love the Sharps idea.


...I'll stop rambling now.

 

[bigngreen]

I think you could pull it of with a Mannlicher stock, get a nice curly maple and finish it darker, maybe a French grey finish on all the metal and I think it could bring in that old school influence and have it look like it fits.
If you took and did some very fine silver wire inlay scroll to accent some checkering that would also tie in the old flintlock look to the modern rifle.

A DBM would be hard to pull of, I think an internal ADL style would be needed to keep the lines down the stock correct so it would not look like a turd!

 

[bearincamo]

That sounds awesome. I may just model that in 3D and post the results.